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State, Planned Parenthood Reach Agreement on First-Term Abortions

Leon County Judge John Cooper on June 30, 2022, in a screen grab from The Florida Channel.
The Florida Channel
Leon County Judge John Cooper on June 30, 2022, in a screen grab from The Florida Channel.

Planned Parenthood says three of its Florida clinics can resume performing first-trimester abortions after reaching an agreement with state health officials.

The organization had asked a judge to let it to continue performing abortions after Agency for Health Care Administration officials said clinics in St. Petersburg, Fort Myers and Naples were illegally performing second-trimester abortions.

Planned Parenthood sued says it has met the definition of first-trimester abortions since 2006.

Laura Goodhue is the executive director of the Florida Alliance of Planned Parenthood.

"We've been operating this way, as I said for over a decade, and AHCA routinely inspects us. And there really haven't been any problems until this summer."

A letter from the Agency for Health Care Administration's attorney agreed, and says those three health centers may continue to perform abortions within 14 weeks of a woman's last menstrual period.

Governor Rick Scott ordered inspections after videos surfaced showing organization officials in other states discussing fetal organ research.

And similar investigations at Planned Parenthoods in other states, including Massachusetts, Georgia, Indiana and South Dakota, have found no evidence of wrongdoing.

Originally founded in December 2006 as an independent grassroots publication dedicated to coverage of health issues in Florida, Health News Florida was acquired by WUSF Public Media in September 2012.